When I tell you where I ate my 10 best durians of the year, I’m telling you a story about me. “Best durian” are deeply personal. They’re where I was and what I was doing and what was important to me when I ate them. This post, The 10 Best Durian of 2017 is essentially […]
A Complete List of Durian Species
This is the first in a series about Wild Durian Species. For the next two weeks, I’ll be posting information about one edible durian species every day. Shortly thereafter I will be resuming the durian hunt in Cambodia. Enjoy! When most people think about durian, they have a pretty monochromatic picture of the fruit. It’s […]
The Inedible Durians
Of the 27 species of durian, only a handful are generally considered good enough to eat. The main qualifier for the “edible” category seems to be a relatively high flesh-to-seed ratio. The rest aren’t poisonous, but their palatability is in the tongue of the beholder. Most, but not all, have only a very thin layer […]
Durio Grandiflorus
Photo credit to Anthony Lamb Of all the durian species on Borneo, I was the most excited about Durio grandiflorus, known locally as the ghost durian. I didn’t believe that finding it would be hard, as it apparently grows all over Borneo. I was much more concerned about finding the admittedly rare Durio testudinarum and […]
Durio Mansoni
Drawing by Joseph Hooker, 1922 This is Durio mansoni. Sorta. It’s the only wild durian species endemic to Thailand and Myanmar, but for now we can only guess what it looks like. That’s partly why I’m so excited to be returning to Thailand. These undocumented durian species leave a lot of room for adventure! I’m […]
Durio Wyatt-Smithii
This durian is one of the more obscure of the durian species. Although it is accepted in the scientific community as a separate species, no one has made a complete description of the fruit. So why am I bothering to write a whole post about it? Because supposedly it tastes good, and that’s what matters. […]
Durio Graveolens
Durio graveolens is the poster child of the jungle durians. That ravishingly red interior is so shockingly bright many people question the use of food coloring. It’s also one of the most popular durian species, sold widely in markets throughout Borneo. Many people actually prefer it to regular durian, and with good reason. Despite it’s […]
Durio Zibethinus
Durio zibethinus is the durian most commonly sold throughout Southeast Asia. This is the durian that is banned in hotels and on subways, and that has grounded planes with its infamous odor. It is the only durian species widely cultivated and purposefully bred. It has adapted to different climates and rain patterns, and changed to […]
Durio Testudinarum
Rob and I were lucky to find Durio testudinarum twice in Borneo, as it is one of the rarest edible durian species. Many people don’t consider it edible because of the strong, musky odor it has when ripe. Yet the flavor is sweet and juicy, a contrast to the usually heavy durian. That’s reason enough […]
